SALES rep Stuart McKell is a self-confessed James Bond junkie.

He gets enthusiastic over his scale-model Bond girls, swoons at 007's gadgetry and gets a buzz from the secret agent's four-wheeled style.

Stuart - middle name James - has so much Bond memorabilia it fills the dining room at the Oakworth home he shares with his ever tolerant wife, 34 year-old Silvana.

Tolerant, because Stuart's collection - which numbers hundreds of items linked to the 19 films made since 1962 - is lovingly laid out on the brand new dining room table.

His 007 books have even usurped Silvana's bookshelf and the rest of the collection has spread over every bit of wall space.

The soundtrack from Goldfinger plays softly on the stereo, and standing proud in the living room are two cardboard cut-outs of millennium bond Pierce Brosnan.

Stuart, 34, owns every official Bond video and all the music, and when he's not listening to the tunes and playing the films he is reliving the adventures of 007 on his Play station.

"Yes, I'm obsessed," confesses Stuart, a Bond fan all his life and a collector of memorabilia for the last eight years.

"Usually I keep it all in boxes in the attic. Now that it's on display, I'm surprised how much there is of it," he said.

"It all started when I was in Leeds shopping with Silvana and I got bored and went off on my own. I saw a gold coloured model of an Aston Martin - I had the silver coloured one as a kid, which was the actual colour of the car in the film. I was just nosing around, but within ten minutes I had bought it."

The silver car was used by Sean Connery in the 1964 film Goldfinger.

Later Stuart found a silver coloured model, which holds a special place in his heart, because a similar car was bought for him by his mum after she took him to see Goldfinger at a Saturday matinee in Keighley when he was seven.

Stuart confesses his passion has snowballed since his first purchase, and he is always on the lookout for items to add to his collection.

Like the James Bond 007 Scalextric set issued in 1968 which had two special trick cars - an Aston Martin and a Mercedes.

"I'm sure someone round here will have one stashed away in the loft. I've advertised before, but so far without success," says Stuart.

The latest addition is an 1/18th scale model of a BMW Z8 used by Brosnan in the Bond movie, The World is Not Enough. It cost £80 and he had to buy it from Germany. He also has a miniature version and a 1/43 scale model.

Pride of place among the collection is a Road Race set issued only in the USA in 1965 on the release of Thunderball - the Holy Grail of Bond collectables. And it doesn't even work.

"A lot were sent back by customers because they were faulty, so there are very few about," says Stuart.

He said that prices for Bond memorabilia had soared since he first started collecting.

"I was very fortunate, I started when it was more affordable," he says. "In those days you could go to fairs, look at an item, walk away and consider it and go back if you wanted it. Now you have to be quick. If you see it and you have the money you buy it."

And what does export shipping manager Silvana, who holds the purse strings, think.

"It makes a dent in our finances. I'm astonished by how much he has but I think it's OK - there are far worse vices.

"At least when it comes to birthdays and Christmas I know what to get him, but he has to tell me what I have to get and where.

"He keeps telling me it's an investment and when he dies I'll be a rich woman," she jokes.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.